Prologue to Episode 14
by A wee Moose
Summary: Events leading up to Episode 14, Season 5. A killer andriod escapes and goes renegade
1. Part 1

http/s6. - Lielhai III (Romulan colony world; light military presence)

Angel did not believe in luck, but she did recognize good fortune when it came her way. Having the center of her smuggling operation located at the spaceport was not only smart "business sense," but it probably saved her life. The surrounding city was in chaos, as was the rest of the planet. Now, at the control center for the local spaceport, she checked once again to make sure the perimeter shields were still up and running. Once the plague had become a real threat, Angel acted immediately, and her organization had taken over the port's command and control center. A worried man looked at the dying body on the floor, and then back to Angel.  
"This is bad! You shouldn't have killed him! Killing a Tal Shiar agent will only bring more here!"  
Angel turned away from the tower's window and glared at him. "Oh shut up, Terrik. In case you haven't noticed, we have enough trouble already. I hope everyone is inside the spaceport, because it's completely sealed off now."

Terrik nodded. "As far as I know. But now what? That plague is killing everyone. Even if the shields do hold forever, which I doubt, what then? We can't stay locked in here forever can we?"  
As much as she hated to admit it, Terrik was totally correct. Either the shields would fail, and the nasty little bugs would get in, or they would be trapped like prisoners…until 'help' arrived in the form of unwanted Romulan military ships. The Tal Shiar agent  
she killed had already discovered who she was, but fortunately hadn't been able to contact anyone else.  
"This is a disaster," said Angel. Not just for the obvious sense, but things were going nicely for her up until this little 'event.' "Damn! All our business, ruined!"

"Angel, please! We have to get off planet!" said Terrik. "As far as anyone can tell these nanite parasites devour flesh, and machine..."

Angel clenched her teeth and said, "I KNOW!" She hated being reminded of her own vulnerability, especially to other 'living' beings. Being an android was something she all too often took for granted. From all accounts (what few there were) these things were a menace to man and machine alike. Thus, Angel's faith in the shields were limited. Terrik was quite correct. They would all have to get off the planet very soon.

"Listen Terrik. Round up as many people from our group as you can. Get them to the center of the docking port. There are still a few space-worthy ships left, and I'll take care of securing one for all of us."  
"Wait a minute. How do I know you won't leave us behind?" said Terrik suspiciously. He wasn't stupid, and Angel smiled demurely. "Well, you simply don't have any choice my dear." Her smile faded. "Go."

Not many people knew she was an android, and even fewer people knew she was an android that had escaped her Romulan creators in a rather violent fashion shortly before she was completed. Her initial design was to be an infiltration unit, for a variety of intelligence tasks for the Tal Shiar. Thanks to an enterprising (and now deceased) young programmer, her multi-phasic brain was completely self-aware, in as much as an artificial being could be. Instantly realizing her intended purpose (and not wanting it), Angel had killed those that created her, and destroyed the cybernetics lab that gave her 'life.' Her body was somewhat unfinished, and had chalk-white skin, hair and eyes. Her face also bore a blue tattoo of her prototype designation, but a little makeup covered that up. Besides, Angel had a streak of vanity, and cherished her rather original looks. Normally a slave to fashion, the practicality of the current situation dictated that she wore a simple, casual outfit. But she always had time for makeup and red lipstick. A girl had to look her best.

Outside the spaceport walls, people were going mad trying to get inside, to their only hope of escape. The city itself burned out of control, and looked like something out of a nightmare insane asylum. Angel's pale eyes watched from the monitors impassively.  
Checking the systems one last time, she noticed a few power stations on the planet were showing critical. All the more reason to leave in a hurry.  
As expected, the shields were failing in certain places, and the more ingenious doomed residents were finding ways to break into the spaceport. Some were trying to crash an industrial vehicle through the main gate.

Even inside the port, people were acting like idiots as they fought over the last of the available transport off the planet. Disruptor fire lashed out here and there, but Angel ignored it as she ran to find a shuttle, carrying only her purse. When she arrived at the hangar, she saw the local governor was also 'trapped' in the spaceport, as well as other  
organizations she would be competing against for the last of the transportation out of here.  
A large group of armed people were facing off with each other, arguing intensely. One group was made up of the local Governor-Intendant, J'krel, and his soldiers, if you could call them that. More like they were hired thugs. The other groups were her rivals for the crime activity on the planet.  
None of them were please to see Angel. And knowing that, she smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen," she said in greeting.

"Just perfect. I was wondering when you would show up," said J'Krel with obvious distaste.  
Another crime boss, Hanaj, was equally displeased. "I rather thought you'd have the good courtesy to die, Angel."  
Angel held up her hands. "My! Whatever have I done to receive such a nasty welcome? Hmm. And they say a crisis brings out the best in people." She gave a short laugh. "I see that's not well founded."  
"You might as well turn around, you white-skinned demon-woman!" spat J'Krel. "No one but my people are using these last shuttles. Government business takes precedent over you criminal scum anyway!"  
Hanaj laughed. "As we've been standing here aiming weapons at each other for the last 30 minutes, I highly doubt that. Take a good look. Your 'government' is failing."

Angel looked at both parties with a grin. She folded her arms and said, "There's a simple solution. We could all share…" She considered their looks. "No, I suppose that won't work, will it? Or, you could give a shuttle to me. All I require is one. There are at least three I see in working order.…Don't look so shocked. Listen. The virus or whatever it is will soon be at our collective throats."

"More lies, Angel?" said Hanaj. "This is probably your doing anyway."  
"Please!" she said tiredly. "If anyone is to blame, it would be the local government." She eyed J'Krel. "How about it, Governor? Any military secrets that have run amok?"  
"Don't try and pin this on me, Angel!" he said.

Hanaj added, "She's probably right. We all know how 'honorable' the Romulan government is. This is probably a military test of a new weapon."  
Angel said, "While I would love to argue this point ad nauseam, I suggest we reach an understanding. The situation is deteriorating quite rapidly. I tried to seal off the port from the outside, but things won't hold forever."  
"Why should I believe you?" asked J'Krel.  
"I was just in the control room." Angel held up a hand and had a fed-up expression. "But I can see you idiots are content to stand here all day until everyone is dead. But I plan on leaving." As she reached in her purse, no less that twenty weapons were aimed at her.

"Don't even think about it!" shouted J'Krel.

Angel froze. "Easy!" She produced a small silver item. "Can't a woman freshen up a bit? By the gods, you people are too jumpy!" Snapping open what looked like a make-up case, the rest of the people in the hangar were not as tense, but still a bit confused. The stress of the situation was clearly evident. With a flick of the wrist, Angel flung the item in the middle of the floor, and sent a detonation transmission to it. The device exploded, and the android was already moving.

Angel's speed and strength may have been superior, but a disruptor set on a high setting would damage her like anyone else. She swiftly killed J'Krel first, with a vicious blow to the side of his head. She kicked the weapon out of another's hands, and through the smoke of her explosive, everyone started attacking everyone else in a melee of violence. It was no better than outside, thought Angel. This planet was most assuredly doomed. She simply had to get off the surface.  
She was attacking the last of the solders in any way possible, and avoiding disruptor blasts at the same time. People were dropping one by one.

Hanaj tried to see as best he could. The blast from that bitch's device blinded him, and now this cursed smoke...  
He fired at everything that moved, and slowly backed away from the fight to seek cover.  
Before he knew it, the fighting had stopped. He could hear the noise of chaos coming from far outside, meaning the local scum had finally broken though.  
They'd all be dead soon.

"Hanaj," a voice called out to him. It was Angel. "You're the last one, Hanaj. Just you and me now. Why not make it easier on yourself and put the weapon down, dear?"  
"Curse you woman!" he shouted. "I won't surrender to the likes of you."  
"You're dead if you don't. Do you hear that, Hanaj? The shield is down, and the doomed masses are coming for us. The bugs will be here soon after. Think about it. Lielhai is dead. Our respective business here is gone, and we'll be lucky to get out with our lives.  
Hanaj, if the plague doesn't kill you, I will. Unless, you put down that weapon. There's room enough for both of us on that last shuttle. The others were damaged."

Hanaj was paranoid now, almost to the point of insanity. Angel could see that as she silently crept up behind him. Like most men she had come across, he was stubborn and hard-headed. Angel knew that he'd never cooperate. A shame, but no big loss.

Angel grabbed Hanaj and spun him around, slapping the weapon out of his hand. She placed both hands on the sides of his head and squeezed as she lifted him off the ground.  
She scowled and said, "No one to protect you, you miserable fool! What a waste of my time, you and the others! I should have let the plague take you all!"

Hanaj screamed as the pain increased from her grip on his skull. As much as she would have liked to drag this out, seeing as how this man had caused her so much misery and inconvenience in the last few months, it was about time to leave. The virus, disease, or whatever it was could be here any second. Not knowing what it was, she couldn't detect it until it was too late.

Hanaj died fairly quickly in her hands, and crumpled to the floor with the rest of them. Angel sealed herself inside the spacious shuttle, not even considering waiting for Terrik or the rest of her people. Without an organization to maintain, or a colony to exploit, they simply weren't needed anymore. The shuttle was prepped and ready, and Angel took off.  
She had time to see people running all over the place, just like a swarm of angry animals, which is what they were reduced to.

How had this happened? Angel had no idea. Being created by the Tal Shiar, she wished she had been privy to all their secrets, but alas, this was a new one. At any rate, Angel still had her contacts, and it was time for a new line of work anyway. Setting a course for El Adrel system, the small shuttle's warp engines kicked in, and she was away, leaving Lielhai to die. While in warp speed, she also sent out a communiqué to the remnants of her organization there. Her computer mind had already come up with a plan. She hated Section 31, but if her calculations were correct, Angel would be expanding her operation into the United Federation of Planets.


	2. Part 2

Angel - Melkon IV (Federation space)

Cain looked around the confused and rag-tag spaceport until he saw her. Angel was hard to miss. Shoving her way through a throng of peasant travelers, Angel came up to the human and scowled. "Filthy rabble!"  
"Glad to see you too," said Cain with a grin.  
"Oh shut up. I'm in no mood," said Angel, and she started walking back to the port exit.  
"So what happened in the Empire?" asked Cain. "Last I heard you were doing well there."  
"I was never doing that well. Some damned fool released a virulent plague on Lielhai and pretty much destroyed the planet."  
"Too bad. Did you find out who did it?"  
Angel shrugged. "No time. The Tal Shiar was on to me anyway. I had to leave the Empire for a while regardless. Speaking of which, did you make contact?"  
"Actually, I did. In fact," said Cain. "Per your instructions, I have the organization almost ready for operations."  
"Almost?" she asked disapprovingly.  
"It takes time to consolidate such a network. But things are moving along nicely. Headquarters, starships, and even new recruits for our organization."  
"You mean MY organization," said Angel. She looked at him in the eyes. "Don't forget that Cain."  
Cain swallowed and nodded. "You know what I meant, Angel. But yes, all for you."  
Her white eyes narrowed at him. "Maybe I'm just irritated at such a long trip. But don't get too ambitious around me."

The two walked outside to a limousine Cain had secured. He thought Angel would be pleased, but she made no notice. They lifted off and were away.


End file.
